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Recognizing the need for transit alternatives (like Bus Rapid Transit, Light Rail, or Commuter Rail) along the I-26 Corridor between Summerville and Charleston, the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCDCOG) initiated the I-26 Regional Fixed Guideway Transit Alternatives Analysis study (I-26ALT). The purpose of I-26ALT is to enhance regional mobility with transit along the I-26 Corridor between Summerville and Charleston – providing people with an alternative to sitting alone in their car in gridlock on…

In celebration of the arrival of a glorious spring, The State‘s Sammy Fretwell reports that the University of South Carolina Development (and Conservation!) Foundation has sold the 1,200 acre Prince George tract, just south of Pawley’s Island, to a conservation buyer. The future of this extraordinary property, formerly part of Arcadia Plantation, had been uncertain, with development a troubling possibility. The Conservation League’s Nancy Cave has followed the project for the past…

What a week it has been! Spring is finally here. The pollen has largely washed away. Spring break is over (for our family anyway). That’s the good side.
On the other hand, the Legislature, and one DOT commissioner, are still up to an unprecedented level of mischief. This article by Sammy Fretwell with The State sums it up perfectly. Although only turkeys are in season in the Lowcountry, it is open season on environmental…

“You won the first round, but you’re not going to win the second round.”
This comment was made by Senator Paul Campbell at today’s hearing on the beachfront protection act. Sen. Campbell is promoting an amendment on behalf of a Charlotte-based development company (which is, incidentally, backed by a hedge fund in New York.) His amendment would have allowed the beach building line to move seaward, facilitating the construction of a road and…

Last week, the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources heard from hundreds of our supporters! The League’s Executive Director, Dana Beach, also testified before the committee and asked them to properly review the far reaching adverse impacts that this legislation could have on the state’s coastal resources. Rather than move forward with a vote that could eliminate all protections afforded by South Carolina’s Coastal Management Program (CMP) to approximately 90% of Dorchester County,…

“Three if by land, two if by sea…”
I’ll admit to mangling the quote, but this week’s news includes assaults more serious than even the British on South Carolina’s natural resources — land, wetlands and water.
On the positive side, the first item is a superb editorial from the Beaufort Gazette exhorting the county to use the gun range controversy (which has essentially been put out of its misery) to stimulate a conversation about…

If there is a single resource that exemplifies the best of what our state has to offer, it is surely the South Carolina coast: The beaches, salt marshes, creeks, estuaries, and wildlife are second to none. These resources permeate our culture and underpin the state’s $7 billion coastal tourism and fisheries economy.
And yet, somehow, many elected officials have lost sight of this fact.
In what can fairly be described as a colossal miscalculation, offshore oil…

In 2015 the city of Charleston will elect its first new mayor in four decades. Recently, the Conservation League joined forces with If You Were Mayor, Charleston Moves, Historic Charleston Foundation, and the South Carolina Community Loan Fund to host a forum on ideas for the future of city. You’ll find full footage of the event below. Be sure to check out If You Were Mayor’s Stephanie Barna’s wrap-up…

The Obama Administration this week released a draft proposal that would open areas off the South Carolina coast to oil and gas exploration and development. This proposal represents a fundamental threat to the people, wildlife and natural resources that exemplify the best of what makes South Carolina a special place to live and work.
Our state’s fisheries and ocean-based tourism and recreation support nearly 79,000 jobs and…